SoundTracks
by celticgina
Summary: A new series,based upon song titles, odd lyrics etc. Yes, really. Ready for the NEW season? Anyone still there?
1. Midnight Confessions

**So, the titles of these little stories are all inspired by song titles. Some will actually incorporate lyrics. But I promise that no characters will hear a whole song lyric and think of someone else as the plot. I am old enough to remember the songs. If you aren't look them up and listen to them. The bunnies have been humming these if you must know.**

**I rated this M for language for now. But I hope to move this up a bit. Just a bit M, not X. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the songs, lyrics, rights or these characters. Nothing is done for profit. All for fun and cheap therapy!**

**MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS ****by The Grass Roots**

Even if it had been only a beer and couple of shots, it was enough to help him sleep. Maybe it was the hot shower. He had decided to look at the whole situation in the morning with a clear head. So, he was sleeping peacefully when the knock on the door came. Actually a knock is a polite description. It was more like a prolonged series of out of rhythm banging.

According to his talking clock, it was just after midnight. He had been asleep for over an hour and was sleeping soundly enough that he was startled awake. It took him a moment to be awake enough negotiate his way to the door.

Moments like this were when he missed his sight. Being able to look out and see who was there would have been helpful. So he settled for asking.

"Who is it?"

"Auggie? It's me."

He was shocked to hear Annie's voice coming through the door. She should still be on her date. She didn't sound right. He slid the big door open and was startled when she stumbled into him. He caught her and the scent of too much liquor all at once.

"Annie? What's going on?"

"Damn you! God Damn you August Anderson! You know what I did tonight? I tried to have sex. Yeah, sex. I was going to get laid. But you ruined that too! Jesus Christ, Auggie, turn on a fucking light will ya?"

Auggie wasn't sure if he was still sleeping. He heard her words but they made no sense. He found a switch and a small light in the living room flicked on. He could hear her stumbling toward the couch. He followed cautiously. He heard the small thuds of her heels being dropped on his floor.

"Annie? What the hell are you talking about?"

"You were asleep weren't you? Oh God, please tell me there is not some girl rolling around on your bed waiting for you? That would just be the perfect end to my perfect evening."

"Yes, I was asleep and no, there is no one here. Now what the hell Annie? "

"Holy Crap! Why do you hide that body under old man sweaters? You should come to work without shirts! Of course then there would be even more women mobbing you"

He sat down on the sofa at the other end. Despite his reputation with women, Annie's inebriated compliments had him blushing. He fought the urge to get a t-shirt. She was pretty out of it.

"How much did you drink?

"I am not nearly drunk enough it seems. I went out with Lance tonight. You know about Lance, right? Of course you do. You know everything. As you know we've dated a few times. Actually, this was the 4th date. And he had been a perfect gentleman. So, I figure he's the best of them right? I mean he's at least got dark hair and eyes"

"Annie? What are you getting at?"

He was trying to avoid hearing about Lance. It was bad enough he existed. It was bad enough she was dating him. But he was not going to hear about details of her having sex with him. She was not bringing that conversation to his house.

"Auggie, don't you see? Oh wait, stupid question. Don't you get it? I have tried. Mercer was gone. We had one more night and the sonofabitch leaves me again. This time, he died. Well, I was not spending my life mourning a guy who never stayed. I deserved better, right?"

"Right?"

He wasn't sure why he was even answering her. These drunken ramblings were more monologue than dialogue. But still he wanted her to remember he was there. Stupid.

"So I dated. There were a lot of guys, but you knew that, right. Some were jerks. Hell, a lot were jerks. But there were some nice ones. Those were the ones who I dated more than once. Then they weren't smart enough. Or they were too tall. Or they were too short. Or they had no sense of humor. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

He listened to her describe the faults of the men she dated in confusion. Why were they all wrong? They weren't measuring up to the man she called a sonofabitch

"Annie, you will not replace Mercer by trying to find his clone at the agency."

"Auggie, But they had blue eyes, and it seemed only smiling brown eyes were right."

Brown eyes? He had read Mercer's file over and over again to learn what it was about this man that had appealed to her. The man had blue eyes. Who the hell had brown eyes? What? Oh hell, she better not mean Wilcox.

"Annie, you need to be clear here with me."

"God Auggie! For such a genius you are a complete moron! Do I really have to draw you a picture? Oh wait, another stupid question, I guess. One was too tall, one was too short, not smart enough, no humor? Come on! I was freaking Goldilocks and the CIA bears! There was only one that would ever be just right."

"Just right."

"And their names! Oh my God, Derek, Dirk, Craig, Lex, and tonight's debacle, Lance. Why the hell is every guy worth dating more than once have names that sound like something from a really bad romance novel?"

"I don't know?"

"It would figure, the guy who all the other get compared to has a name that belongs on someone's really old uncle. I tried to have sex, did I tell you? I got drunk. I figured Lance was a good guy, right? But instead, I broke up with him. Would you believe he told me I was hung up on someone else? How the hell did he know?"

"You broke up?"

His head was spinning and he was the sober one. He needed to make sure of what she was telling him. Her words were slowing and slurring more. She was falling asleep, actually more like passing out here. Oh no, he thought, not until he got some answers.

"It was his voice, ya know? He had the rest of the package I figured. He was nice, smart, and funny and even dark hair and eyes. He would have to do. But we were kissing. He's not bad at that, by the way. But then he said my name, right in my ear. And it was wrong."

"He called you by the wrong name?"

Auggie couldn't believe this idiot pulled such a rookie mistake. How could he have Annie Walker in his arms and call her by someone else's name.

"Nooo, Auggie, he called me Annie. But he was wrong. His voice was wrong. It was the wrong voice in my ear. I wanted to hear the right voice. How late is it anyway? I am really tired."

"A little after midnight. The right voice, Annie? Who has the right voice?"

"Auggie. I want Auggie. I want his voice in my ear. But don't tell him ok? I'm just gonna close my eyes a moment ok?"

In the brief, and yet timeless moment it took for Auggie to process this stunning piece of information there was silence. He knew what he wanted. He knew she was ready for a new relationship. He had planned to work out that mission in the morning. The mission had come to him.

It took the soft snore to shake him out of his thoughts. Damn. She came to his apartment in the middle of the night, confessed her feelings and then fell asleep drunk. He got up and went over to her. He tried waking her. That wasn't happening. She stirred just enough for him to realize she was out cold. He tried to slide her down so she would sleep easier. But she looped her arms around his neck, and murmured his name into his neck. She was killing him. He lifted her enough to lay her down properly and found a blanket to cover her for the night.

She might wake with a killer hangover in the morning, but at least she wouldn't have a stiff neck. Meanwhile, he had to figure out how to handle all this great intel. She was safe in his apartment. He tucked the blanket around her and pressed a soft kiss onto her hair. Now he was awake, but he didn't really mind.

_**In my midnight confessions  
When I tell all the world that I love you  
In my midnight confessions  
When I say all the things that I want to  
I love you**_

**Ok, so are we on board with this? The next one will connect. I promise. Some will not. Be patient?**


	2. Angel of the Morning

**Thanks again to all my loyal reviewers. Again, this chapter is mostly rated for the language. I am never where to fall on that issue in ratings, so I like to be safe. Some of you pointed out that the whole song didn't really fit. I am using just snippets of lyrics to inspire. There will be one more in this series I think and then the bunnies who have been singing other things want equal time.**

**DISCLAIMER: Singing bunnies, I own. Honestly, singing bunnies? Really? Just as silly as my owning these characters, I guess.**

**ANGEL OF THE MORNING**

Annie struggled to fight that moment between sleep and wakefulness. It was the light that won the day for consciousness. It was wrong. Suddenly her highly trained senses were on full alert. Where the hell was she? She catalogued swiftly what she knew. She was lying down on a sofa, with a blanket over her. Her mouth felt like the floor of a NYC taxi. She was barefoot, but dressed. She was dressed in date clothes. The blanket smelled like Auggie, clean and slightly like his detergent. Auggie. Ok, she was in Auggie's apartment, probably on his sofa. She must have passed out here after…Oh Shit! Auggie!

Pieces of last night came at her like photon torpedoes, fast, blinding and deadly. Photon torpedoes? Nothing like loving a geek to think like that. Love. Oh crap. What had she done?

Process the intel, Walker. She tried to put it together chronologically. The date with Lance. It was nice, nothing surprising there. He was a great guy. She drank too much. Based upon how loud she found the light that much was obvious. Why would she do that? She didn't drink on dates like that. Oh. That's right. She had decided to end the dry spell with Lance. And she got drunk so she could pretend that he was…oh shit. His voice. She stopped him and them. He told her to get over Mercer already. She was drunk enough to yell that it wasn't Ben. She ran out of his apartment and hopped in a cab.

Ok. She remembered all that. It was not a pretty memory, but she got all that. Why did she come here? Oh yeah, she was mad, fuming at Auggie. Words thrown at Auggie in a barrage came back to her. None of them were pretty, all of them were mortifying in hindsight.

Had she really told the blind guy he had smiling brown eyes? Did she really tell him to come to work shirtless? Did she force the man to listen to a confession of her feelings?

Her morning after conscience screamed the affirmative at her. Oh shit. Poor Auggie. She remembered how puzzled he seemed. She remembered him trying to get her to explain herself. Mostly, she remembered how hot he looked in those loose sleep pants slung around his hips. Oh shit.

He must be horrified. She came to his apartment in the middle of the night, drunk as a sailor. She screamed at him because she tried to have sex and the guy wasn't him. Then she passed out. He has never indicated he thought of her as anything but a buddy. Sure, he has flirted, but Auggie flirts with everyone. It was only her secret longing for the man that read more into it.

This is going to be dreadful. They will be awkward. She just blew one of the best relationships in her life. Oh shit.

She had to get out of here now. If she left and saw him Monday, maybe they could just pretend it never happened. Sure. Give this the weekend for them to both put some space between them and they would be fine. She would practice laughing it off. Hopefully he would do the same. Yes. That would work. She had to get out of here. But first, she had to pee.

Annie knew his bathroom entrance was through his bedroom. With some stealth and a lot of luck, she could sneak in and out. It was early and she had deprived him of sleep. Hopefully he wouldn't even hear her. Slowly and carefully, she made her way past his bed and took care of business.

Being a blind CIA agent who had been Special Forces meant you had better be in complete command of the rest of your body. Auggie had trained himself to wake quickly and be alert immediately. Annie's interruption of his sleep had been an exception. All of Annie's visit had been an exception. Any woman dressed like her, rarely slept on the sofa.

He heard her move the moment her feet left the sofa. Clearly, she was trying to be stealthy. He willed himself to seem asleep, curious as to what she would do. Oh, yes. The bathroom. Considering her liquor intake last night, that made sense. As the door opened, he kept his breathing even and soft. What would she do? Run out? Climb in? He wished. Auggie collected each sound as intel in his personal op. Thankfully, he was asleep on his stomach, so evidence of the morning and her presence wouldn't be so obvious.

Annie had fully intended to just slip out. But Auggie was sprawled out on his front, the sheet had slipped and she couldn't resist the view. One hand was tucked under his pillow and the other spread out. The tattoo on his back was a shadow in the dim light. She knew he was better built than his clothing choices would indicate. But to see all that hard muscle displayed in relaxed splendor stopped her in her tracks. His broad shoulders and tightly muscled arms narrowed down to tight vee. At odds with that build was his face, sweet and adorable in repose. A shadow had begun to cover his jaw, making him seem tougher. That unruly brown mop was tossed about even more by sleep.

His breathing and completely relaxed demeanor told her he was still sleeping. Her movements had not woken him. The temptation to slide in under that outstretched arm was strong. She allowed herself to imagine how delicious it would feel to be curled up into that strength.

She had to get out of here before he woke. The look of pity and sympathy as he tried to let her down easily would break her heart. He looked so good. She would have to let this mental picture sustain her imaginings. She should go, her mind screamed. Her body had other plans. Sliding her feet quietly along the floor, she crept closer. Every part of her knew this was a mistake. Still, when she got close enough, she stroked his hair oh so lightly. It was soft and thick. She would later imagine what it would feel like to really comb her finger through it. Running a very light finger over that shadowed jaw, she forced herself to stop. He never even flinched.

She found her bag and shoes and held them both under her arm as she desperately struggled with the lock on his door. It was stiff and heavy. There, she had it. Now to get this damned door to open quietly.

"You don't have to sneak out. I make a great omelet."

_**ANGEL OF THE MORNING**__** by Merilee Rush **_

_**Just call me angel of the morning ANGEL  
just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby**__**.**_

****I am hoping the next chapter will really earn its M rating. You have been warned**


	3. Morning After

**I know this took forever to post. It just wouldn't write. I had to threaten the bunnies' chocolate supply to make this happen. I hope this works?Props to Patricia Louise. She got the source of the previous song wrong, but inspired the choice for this chapter.**

**DISCLAMER: Owning a need for a second stomach after Thanksgiving, but alas, that's all!**

**MORNING AFTER**

His voice stopped her movements. His voice always commanded her. Damn. She was almost out. How did she not hear him? Taking a deep breath, she turned toward him. He was leaning against a wall, arms folded, head ever so slightly tilted. His face had that same calm strength she saw that first day in the gym. She had tried to move him and his face was relaxed. There was no effort or strain, just complete confidence. This time, there was the slightest smile hovering at the corners of his mouth. Shit. He was going to laugh at her.

Shit. He looked amazing. No one should look like that just getting out of bed. His hair was messed; the shadow she had noted on his jaw gave him a rakish air. And his arms folded only made those muscles bulge in the most delicious way. The direct route out seemed to be the best way. Brazen it out, Walker, she thought.

"Auggie! So sorry to have woken you. Both times. I will just get out from under your feet. Lots to do today. I guess I will see you Monday? Right? Right."

Spinning around, she tried to get that door open again. It had just started to slide when one of those strong hands came over her head and slid it closed. Damn, how did a blind man move that fast and silent?

"You have two choices here, Annie. You can eat first and then talk. Or you can talk and then eat."

His sleep roughened voice tickled the hair over her ear causing the slightest shiver to run down her spine. His voice in her ear in real life was so much more compelling than its electronic version. She couldn't imagine what else he could make shiver. He twisted that damn stiff lock easily. She turned and looked up at him. He had taken only a small step back and was still in her space. That small smile started to grow. Ok, she deserved whatever he dished out. After all, she had woken him with her babbling. It was time to start tap-dancing. Hopefully she could just convince him it was the booze talking. Yeah, that would be her story.

"Ok, Auggie, let's talk."

The faster she got this over with, the faster she could get home and fall apart. She glanced at the door again. How did he manage that lock? She had a feeling being able to open and get out quickly would be part of the key to her clinging to her tattered dignity.

"Annie, get away from the door. You are not making a break for it. Come sit down. I think you need coffee. But I am guessing you will need an Advil first? Come over to the counter."

Taking her arm, he led her by the elbow much as she had done for him in the past. He was firmly in control here. He was not letting her out this easily. She took another deep breath and calmed herself. She was a trained agent. She had been in tougher situations than this. Right now, though, she couldn't think of a single one.

She gratefully accepted the pills and bottle of water from him and put her shoes and bag under the counter. Hopefully she would be able to get to them easily and make a fast retreat. But she knew this was a dim hope.

"So, Auggie, about last night? I am really sorry I bothered you. One bad date and I decide to drink it out and bother you. Thanks for the sofa and hangover cure, but I will get out of here now…"

"Annie. Stop. Just stop. I know what you said. You know what you said. Do you really want to dance around it?"

"I don't know what you want me to say or do here?"

His hand smacked the counter in frustration. She was going to try to deny it? Her scent, even after this much time, tickled his senses. He knew how she had touched him and heard her little sigh after. This was not going away. He would be damned if he let her run from this. It was too big.

"In vino veritas, Annie"

"In wine, truth? What the hell does that mean?"

"You're the linguist here. You tell me."

"You know Auggie, drunk people make stuff up too."

"Are you really going to pretend this didn't happen? Are you really going to make me pull this out of you? Should I open a bottle and hope you talk then? This is too important."

The slight smile was gone. He was deadly serious. Annie was terrified. She was hanging onto a cliff by her fingers here. If she was wrong, this would forever ruin the best relationship ever. His eyes were narrowed and his jaw was set. Did she dare take this chance?

"Auggie, are you sure you want to hear this?"

She tried to gauge what he wanted. She had to be sure.

He could hear the fear in her voice. She was tired sounding too. Maybe he should have waited on this. But the way she had touched him and shivered when he spoke into her ear was real. He knew they could have pretended this never happened. But he was sick of waiting. He had planned to make this happen. She had come to him. She was not running and neither was he.

"Annie, last night you told me things you wouldn't have if you were sober. I understand that. But it still doesn't mean they weren't real. Do you want me to say it first?"

"Say it first?"

Even to her own ears, her voice sounded more like a squeak. His eyes seemed to find and pierce her. He couldn't see, but she still had the odd feeling he could see inside her.

"Annie, you told me you broke up with…that guy. You said he wasn't the right one. You said, oh crap Annie, own what you said!"

The light had changed in the last few minutes. The pale grey of the predawn was lightening. She could see him so much better now. She knew that look. It was his tough on the outside, but hurting on the inside look. He didn't wear it often. If you didn't know him, you didn't know what it meant. She had spent too much time studying him to not understand. She eyed her bag and shoes. She would say it. If this were the disaster she feared, she would just grab them and run for it.

He could hear her standing. He poised himself for the next moments. Would it be fight or flight? She wasn't a runner. He could only pray. When he heard the whisper of her dress as she came around the island, he prayed hard. Even though he knew she had stopped in front of him he still started a little when her hands combed through his hair.

He stood perfectly still as they came down and again caressed his cheek. God, he wished he could see her face, read her eyes. Was she going to be kind and let him down easily, as if that were possible?

"Auggie, I want you to promise me that if this isn't what you want, you will not let it ruin our friendship. I don't think I could bear to lose that too."

His head, still in her hands, nodded in the affirmative. He didn't dare speak.

"Auggie, I have been running around like a fool. I have been trying to find someone who measure up. He had to be cute and brave and strong, and sweet and funny, and kind and smart. Most of all, he had to make me feel the way I do when I am with you. Do I need to find that guy? Is it possible that I could have the real thing here?"

"Who, Annie?"

"You, Auggie, it's you. I've known for a while now. I thought it was maybe because we were just good friends. Maybe it was that I spent so much time with you. Maybe I needed to….I don't know, be sure. I was badly burned last time. I was terrified to give my…heart away again. Do you understand?"

Her hands on his face were captured by his. He turned his face into each one and kissed it softly. That slight touch of his lips on her hands weakened her knees. She had to force herself to remain upright. She needn't have worried. Before she could even blink, his arms were around her, holding her close.

"I have known since the beginning, Annie. I have been waiting a very long time for you. I am not going anywhere. Are you ready for this Annie? I know I am."

His mouth brushed hers, softly, asking a question. He pulled back just so slightly, waiting for the answer. She felt the same. The question remained. Was she ready for to really love again? If he was the rebound, it might devastate him.

Annie wondered if she were still a little drunk. Her head was light. Pushing herself up on her toes, she answered with a brush of her lips against his. In an instant, his arm around her tightened and she was pulled up tight against him. The kiss went from a sweet meeting of lips to a deep passionate exchange of all they had both held deep within.

When a need for air reluctantly broke the kiss, he still couldn't let her go. Keeping his arms banded around her, he trailed kisses down her jaw and down to her neck. He felt as much as he heard her sigh his name. A triumphant grin broke out on his face. Against her neck, just below her ear, his whisper made her shiver even more.

"Do you really want breakfast now?"

"No."

Before she could even take another breath, his mouth found hers again. It was passionate, but not frantic. In fact, he kissed like everything else he did, with a commanding confidence. She could feel all the heat from his bare torso warming her through the lightweight dress. She gave herself up to the sensation and his care.

He could feel the tension leave her body. He knew the moment she completely relaxed into his embrace, trusting him. He tightened his arms around her and began to walk her back to his bedroom. As he walked, he unzipped the dress from around her and paused only long enough to pull away and pull it off her. The sensation of scratch lace from her barely there bra and even smaller damp scap down below tickled him. His fingers twitched to explore all that smooth skin. She felt better than all his imaginings.

Annie wasn't sure when she lost her dress, and was even hazier on the bra's disappearance. But somehow, losing clothes seemed the natural thing. They were only in the way of feeling Auggie against her. Her neglected libido that had rebelled against Lance's caress danced a jig at Auggie's slightest touch. It went into hyper drive when he stretched her out on his bed under his bare body.

The slow creep of dawn into his bedroom showed all the muscled planes of his body. As he kissed and nibbled his way across her tingling breasts, she could only see the top of his dark head against her pale skin. She must have whimpered his name, because someone was whimpering in that room. He picked his head up and looked not at her, but toward the sound and smiled again. God, she loved this man's smile. She was about to pull those smiling lips up to hers when he began to move them down in other direction. She forgot to how to think. At the slightest pressure from his hands, she made a space for him.

Auggie was forcing himself to slow down. He wanted nothing more than to dive into the wet heat his hands were slowly exploring. The slight sounds that were escalating were like music to him. He had been listening to the varied nuances in her voice for over a year now. He thought he knew them all. But each taste of her soft skin brought out a new sound. He was drunk on them and the scent of her as he descended. By the time he tasted her slick center, the combination of that grapefruit and Annie had intoxicated him. He thought he could be addicted to this for the rest of his life. He feasted on her slowly, letting those senses still working tell him what he needed to know. She was writhing and moaning, the sounds rising in pitch.

The man was a genius. It was official. Not only could those hands translate intel at light speed, apparently then knew exactly when, where and how to touch her. When one of them held her hip still just as the other was using those talented fingers inside to slide and curl in places no man ever thought to stroke, her hands grabbed the sheets and held on. One slow, sucking, stroking pass of his tongue shattered her. He kissed and caressed her through it. He growled just a little as he stroked his hands along her body as he came back up over her.

Annie had never been a huge fan of being under a man. Most men didn't really fit right. But Auggie surrounding her as she breathed back to consciousness felt safe and good. His hands unclasped hers from the bedding and intertwined their fingers pulling them up over her head. It aligned their bodies perfectly.

"Annie"

This time it was the right voice in her ear. Just the sound of it, roughened with passion in her hair over her ear made her gasp. He said it again and again, punctuating each time with a slow sucking kiss just below the ear.

"Yes, Auggie, oh yes. Auggie, so right."

He smiled in triumph. His voice was the right one. He was the right one. He said it one more time as a slow deep groan as he slid into her wet heat. Her answer was his name in an equal slow groan.

The sun broke out in full brightness just as he took her to the edge a second time and tumbled right after himself. He couldn't see her face, but could hear her voice. It was perfect.

_**MORNING AFTER by Maureen McGovern**_

_**There's got to be a morning after  
We're moving closer to the shore  
I know we'll be there by tomorrow  
And we'll escape the darkness  
We won't be searchin' any more**_

**This is the end of this little group of stories in this series. There will be more 'song inspired' in this series as the bunnies allow. I have one in mind…..very different….stay tuned? We are still here?**


	4. For Your Eyes Only

**First of all, this has no connection to the other chapters in this series.**

**We have all written about that connection between Annie and Auggie. It seemed so fast. I also noticed that Joan seemed to not like Annie's relationship with Jai. The evil bunny jumped on my keyboard with this one as a result.**

**DISCLAIMER: Only the downside of a four day weekend. Sigh…..**

**For Your Eyes Only**

"Annie Walker?

"Auggie Anderson"

_One Day Prior….._

"Auggie? Come to my office, I need to speak to you."

The summons over the interoffice phone surprised him. Joan usually just walked into his tech op center, patted his shoulder and started talking. Whatever this was, she wanted it on the QT.

She waited till he sat down and she closed the door before she began speaking. Her bracelet was jangling more than normal. This wasn't good. Standing in front of her desk, she began to speak to him a hushed tone.

"I have something I want you to work on. It needs to be kept just in this room. You will report only back to me. Do you understand?"

"Ok"

This was big. Joan was a stickler for protocols. She felt that structure kept all those 'A' type personalities in check. It was something they could build their ops on. She liked thinking outside the box, but wanted it to be something she could still control. Joan was all about control.

"There is a new agent coming in. She is being pulled off the Farm early. Supposedly it's because of her impressive linguistic skills. There's more to it. She was…close to an operative who has gone rogue. We don't know what she knows. We also don't know if he is contacting her. We suspect he will. Officially, we have someone getting close to her."

"Officially?"

"Yes. But having read this woman's file, I don't think the typical approach will work with her. I was…overruled on this point."

Joan's pauses told Auggie volumes. What he was being asked to do was not official. She had clearly argued with the upstairs types and been shot down. That was not new. They didn't always trust a woman's instinct, he knew. Having worked for Joan for a while, he thought that was a mistake. Usually, she just put her head down and did what was directed. This was new for her. He was intrigued.

"I'm in. What do you need?"

"Here is a copy of her file. It's on an encrypted zip drive. For your eyes only, excuse the expression. Take it, study it and destroy all evidence of it. You are on your own here. I want you to learn what you can and get to know her."

"You want…?"

He left the question open. Sometimes, not saying something out loud provided for plausible deniability. Auggie knew the importance of that in this kind of situation.

"Auggie, you have a, let's say reputation with the women around here. I think it's safe to say you have them all eating out of your hand, whether you have slept with them or not. Your call. But be aware you will not be alone on this."

He nodded his understanding. He had smiled a little at her description of his reputation. Even before being blinded, he had done well with women. When you are the youngest of 5 brothers, you had to work harder to get the women to notice you. He had spent his childhood listening to the girls with his brothers. He had learned a lot. As a blind man, women thought he didn't care about their looks. He parlayed that and his charm into that reputation.

"Understood."

He took the encrypted drive from Joan and stood. He was pleased with this assignment. It was hard for him as a former operative and Special Forces to sit behind a desk all the time. No, this wasn't the field. Yes, he was being used more for his skill with women. But hell, if Joan saw him capable of this, maybe it could lead to more. His fist clenched around that zip drive. He would succeed.

Later that night, home alone, he studied all the intel the CIA had collected on one Anne Catherine Walker. She was an interesting person. He found her file detailed and fascinating. She was described as being beautiful. Not surprising. Women who led this kind of life generally were. The world didn't excuse her kind of wanderlust unless she was attractive. She was also intelligent, and was flying through the courses at the Farm.

She had been badly burned by this operative. Ben Mercer. Auggie tried to remember what he could about that name. He had gone off the grid around the same time as his own issues with Tasha. Right after that he went to Iraq. Mercer was typical CIA. Deep undercover and probably loved that life. Good looking and smooth. She would be skittish of that type of approach.

He would be her friend. She seemed like the kind of woman who could use one. He read the file one more time carefully, memorizing it. Doing well here could be his ticket back into the field, even blind. He made sure he had all of the information down cold and then destroyed the drive and the evidence of it on his computer. He turned in early after picking out a pretty conservative, almost geeky look. He needed his rest.

Annie Walker was about to come to the CIA. Annie Walker was about to be his buddy.

**Don't hate here. Blame the evil bunny. I know we all love Auggie, but sometimes we forget he was an operative. Without throwing things, let me know what you think? Reviews have been slowing...Holiday overload?**

**Yes, I am very aware of the irony of this song title. And sometimes it will be only the title of the song that inspires an entry here.**

**FOR YOUR EYES ONLY**** by Sheena Easton**


	5. Halo

**This bunny had been listening to my Ipod and demanded I use this song. I wasn't sure if this one worked or not. **

**This is another stand alone, just so you know.**

**DISCLAIMER: I dont own an understanding of Trig, so I was useless to my son tonight, and I don't own anything else.**

**HALO**

Typical man, he fell asleep almost right away. Annie didn't. It wasn't that she wasn't comfortable. She was. Their bodies, just as they did vertically, were in sync horizontally. He was lying on his back, snoring slightly. One arm was holding her as she lay across his chest.

She should be asleep as well. She was tired. Their lovemaking had been tender, sweet and fierce. He was a demanding and giving lover. The third time he brought her to ecstasy, she fell back under him, worn out. The first two times he had smiled. They were purely masculine smiles of triumph and joy. She was surprised he didn't beat his chest. This time his smile was lost in his own euphoria.

But she lay there awake, her head pillowed on his surprisingly broad chest. His heart in sleep beat steady and strong. The warmth and sound should have lulled her. She ran her hands idly up and down his chest, lightly. She didn't want to wake him.

Her body was sated and exhausted. Her mind was awake and whirling. She tried to will it to calm so she could get the rest her body craved. She quieted her breathing and tried to clear her mind.

Nope.

Her eyes popped open. It was night. Auggie had left only one small light in his kitchen burning. Her eyes accustomed themselves to the dimness. Raising her head slightly she could see Auggie's face. She smiled. In sleep, his boyish features were stilled. Usually so animated, it was a revelation to see them in repose. He looked impossibly younger. Yet the strong line of his jaw, becoming more shadowed gave him deliciously male presence. He was like a fallen angel, innocent and yet sinfully handsome. It wasn't him or his dear face that was keeping her awake. It was her own arguing mind.

What the hell had she done?

It wasn't the obvious that she questioned. Sex with Auggie had been wonderful, fulfilling and all she had fantasized. His air of confidence and the women throwing themselves at him made sense now. She wasn't surprised. For all his self proclaimed geek status, Auggie always channeled more Mick Jagger than Bill Gates. It wasn't Auggie she questioned.

It was herself.

After Ben, she had built walls. She knew that. She had done so deliberately. It was self preservation at its most basic. She had let Ben in too far. Let him in was a misnomer. She had pulled him in and reveled in the complete takeover of her mind and heart. She had prepared to make that permanent. Annie thought Ben was the real deal. Annie's walls were nonexistent when it came to Ben.

She swore she would never make that mistake again. She would protect herself. She would enjoy men, of course. She never planned to be celibate. Annie liked sex. But she would never again allow anyone that close again. Her walls were built up in the two years after Ben left her. She came to the CIA with them firmly intact. Even Ben's re-appearance had shaken them. She shored them back up again. She was pretty sure by the time she got back from Sri Lanka, that she was strong again.

It was dark days for her. She tried to force herself to be strong. Annie would learn a lesson from the crack that Ben crawled through. It frightened her how much how Auggie pulled her from that darkness. Not that she didn't appreciate it, but she could feel herself gravitating toward him. He was warmth and light in her deepest despair. She didn't want Auggie to be her strength. She wanted to be her own strength. Those walls would be her strength, she thought. She leaned on those walls. She wasn't sure if she was holding them up or they were holding her.

Somehow she knew for a long time she would find herself in bed with Auggie. Most women at the Agency planned on it. Most of them didn't succeed. She knew he had held off from her because they had forged a real friendship. When they finally allowed themselves to cross that line, she expected the sex would be good. It wasn't. It was perfect. It wasn't sex. It was lovemaking at its deepest, rawest and yet most tender. It had crashed down all those walls. She was elated. She was terrified. She was sure he and his love would protect her as those walls hadn't done.

She lifted her head and looked at him again. This time his sightless eyes were open, looking toward her. He stroked his hand through her hair and brought his other one to cradle her closer against his chest. She reveled in the embrace.

"Annie, let yourself rest. This is good. We are good. Rest. I've got you."

Somehow, she knew he always would. It was the last coherent thought before sleep overtook them both.

_**HALO by Beyonce' **_

_**Remember those walls I built  
Well, baby they're tumbling down  
And they didn't even put up a fight  
They didn't even make up a sound**_

I found a way to let you in  
But I never really had a doubt  
Standing in the light of your halo  
I got my angel now

It's like I've been awakened  
Every rule I had you breakin'  
It's the risk that I'm takin'  
I ain't never gonna shut you out

Everywhere I'm looking now  
I'm surrounded by your embrace  
Baby I can see your halo  
You know you're my saving grace

You're everything I need and more  
It's written all over your face  
Baby I can feel your halo  
Pray it won't fade away

**This is more of the song than I normally use, but this one really had so much good stuff. **

**Are we good?**


	6. Hero

**I know a lot of you have been patiently waiting for a new chapter of Buddies. Yeah, the bunnies are really not happy there. I am trying to corall them into some order, but you know how bunnies can be.**

**So, this entry is not going to make most of you happy. This was a serious rogue bunny. It was NOT what I was planning to write for this song. This was a major hijack of my netbook.**

**Try not to throw too many bricks. We all know the bunnies need chocolate and love.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't even own the DVD yet. Waiting for a few extra pennies to appear in my piggy bank. Buying new sneakers for my son won out so far.**

**HERO**

_**I can be you hero baby  
I can kiss away the pain  
I will stand by you forever  
You can take my breath away – Enrique Iglesias**_

The clean up was literally that. When the chopper landed, a few men came and pulled Ben out of Annie's arms. She was covered in his blood. Someone else came and took the professor and got him safely away. That left her and Jai. They were bundled into a dark SUV, driven to a safe house and told to clean up. They would be flown home with Ben's body. Apparently the CIA jet had been commandeered by Jai when he came to find her.

Through it all, Annie was a little numb. Her training kept her from being completely oblivious, but she was nowhere near her normal sharp self. Through it all, Jai said very little. The conversations were about the pragmatic. Clean clothing, transportation and even some food that he insisted she eat. She tried to behave normally. The man she thought she loved had just died in her arms. What the fuck was normal now anyway?

It wasn't till they were on the jet that it happened. She thought it would all hit when she took a shower and washed the last remnants of his life force out from under her nails. She thought Auggie's voice would do it.

"Annie?"

It was her name. They were on the jet. He spoke only that word with a cup of coffee in his hand held out to her. It started as a stray thought that made her smile, and then giggle a little hysterically. The mental picture of Jai Wilcox, tall, dark and gorgeous heir apparent to the CIA crown as a flight attendant tickled her. She thought it was good that she could laugh. It didn't laugh.

It was a half sob, hiccup that was the cork exploding on her bottled-up emotions. Suddenly, the torrent was unleashed. She began to cry, slowly at first and then large gasping sobs. She had seen men die before. It was never easy. But to have the man you had held after passion just hours before bleed to death in your arms was too much suddenly.

The coffee was put down and she was in Jai's arms. He said nothing at first, just letting her spill her tears down the front of his custom tailored shirt. He didn't stroke her back, he just held her close. When the worst of the storm finally abated a bit, he eased back against the large double seat and pulled her against him. As her shuddering sobs began to quiet and lessen, Annie started to notice a thousand details at once. He was broader than his long lean appearance would first indicate. He was warm. It was comforting in itself. His scent was spicy, but not overwhelming. And his hands, carefully manicured held a strength that somehow surprised her, although she didn't know why.

Finally, she lifted her head, her face swollen, blotchy and tear- streaked. She felt good, because it was out. But she felt like she had gone three too many rounds with Auggie on close combat training in the gym. Every part of her, from her heart outward ached. His dark, intense eyes were watchful and kind.

"Jai, I'm sorry."

"No, Annie. I am. Yeah, some of this was my job. I was told to get close and watch you. It was what we do and truthfully, I would do it again. But I won't lie to you about this one thing. I am glad. I got to know you, the real you. Before you pull away, you need to know a few things and we only have this time to really talk."

Annie was pulling herself upright. She had figured out already that Jai had been assigned to handle her. She was pissed, but the agent that permeated every part of her life now, understood. Sometimes she hated the Agency, but it was how they worked. Taking a deep shuddering breath, she tried to pull herself together. She was only partially successful.

"OK. What?"

He noted the change in her. She was still a little fragile, but was pulling her CIA shell about herself. He hated to see it, but knew it would be needed to get through the next few days.

"When we land, we will be separated. Frankly, I am surprised they let us travel together. They will want to debrief us about this whole mess. Your part will be pretty straight forward. Mercer did what he did they way he planned to, well except of course for how it ended."

"He planned?"

"Annie, Ben Mercer was a deep cover officer. I believed he cared for you. Truthfully, that was a problem for the Agency. You distracted him. At first, they weren't sure if you and that were deliberate. But even though he went rogue, he was at his core, an agent. It would be first and always with him. I know that's not what you want to hear now, but you need to really understand it. Once you do, your view on this whole thing will make sense. Don't see it as a woman in love, Annie. You are going to have to be an agent about this. Because the fall out will be big, especially for me."

"Why you? Weren't you sent in to handle and retrieve me? Weren't you just the clean up on this?"

Jai watched as she straightened further away from him. Good. She was beginning to pull back into herself. She would need that. He just wanted her to know a few things before she pulled away from him.

"Not really. You and Mercer had blown through check ins. Joan was getting worried. Anderson was beginning to bark at people. Half the tech department was hiding at the food court. I tried to get my father to intervene and set up an extraction. He was too involved in, well, who the hell knows. I went off the grid a little here."

"What?"

The jet? The team? I didn't really ask. I just kind of went in here."

Annie shook her head slightly clear it a little. She was a little foggy from her emotional storm but she knew she needed to have all this clear. Jai sat very still, a small half smile on his lips, but his eyes were solemn. Did Jai Wilcox, son of Henry Wilcox, CIA legend, just admit to breaking rules? Jai was the king of protocols. It was shocking. She had to know.

"You broke protocol? Why?"

Jai took a very deep breath and let it out slowly. He wasn't sure he should say anything. But he was pretty certain he wouldn't get this close to her for this chance again for a long time.

"You, Annie. I came for you. Mercer was unimportant to me. He was hugely important to the Agency. He was literally, the man who knew too much. It would be dangerous to have him running around rogue."

"They didn't…?"

"No, but good question. It wasn't us. I am pretty sure they would have taken him out in a more private way if they were going to. That was too wild and too sloppy for us. "

"I am glad I asked that now. It would have bothered me down the road. Wait. You came for me? Why?"

"Because despite my best efforts, apparently, I am my father's son. I fell for my asset. I was supposed to stay controlled and careful. I was supposed to be only acting. It wasn't supposed to get real. It did. I know this is the worst time to tell you. I know that Anderson is your go to guy. He still thinks of himself as the hero. I guess I want that. I want to be the man who comes for you. Do you understand Annie?"

His arms which had been lying across the back of the seat suddenly reached around and pulled her back into his arms.

"I know you don't want to hear this. I know the timing sucks. I also know they will keep us apart for a while and watch us to make sure Mercer hasn't tainted us somehow. I will be facing some disciplinary actions I'm sure. So, I can't really wait. You need to know now. I broke the rules for you Annie. I think, for you, I would do it again. Whether I drag along a team or it's just me, I want to be that man for you."

He kissed her. He hadn't meant to, but he wasn't sure if he would get the chance again. He had wanted their first kiss to be sweet and soft. It was desperate and passionate. He tasted her tears and surprise. He didn't taste rejection. She kissed him back. Later, he would wonder if it was him she was kissing or was she just still emotional. Right now, she took his breath away.

**Yeah, I know, we all thought Auggie right? But it occurred to the bunny that Jai just came in without permission here. Needed to play with that.**

**Reviews and chocolate people! Please? **


	7. Run to Me

**So, season 2 is finally here! I feel like I have been wishing the last month away waiting! **

**So much A/A potential there. Sort of surprised they kept Ben alive. He is a really nice piece of real estate, but hate that she's hung up on him. **

**Just a quick survey here….raise your hand if you made yummy smacking noises when they showed Auggie working out? I think our boy has been pumping it up a bit! So based upon that little scene, here is a just a taste for the season opener.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, still don't own anything, including season one. Do we think buying it for my husband for Father's day knowing he hates this show is bad?**

**RUN TO ME**

Fucking Ben Mercer.

With every rhythmic pump of his arms as he pulled himself up to the bar he swore that oath. Auggie wasn't sure what he hated more about him. Was it that he lived? Was it that he could see? Was it that he hurt Annie again? Was it that if not for him, Annie would have never been recruited? Auggie would have never met her.

She was changed by Sri Lanka. If the bastard had died, she could have grieved and moved on. But no. He lived and now she had to deal with it all on a continual basis. It was messing with her head and her instincts. Annie was good. Correction, she was very good. He knew from her file that she had aced courses at the farm. She had come out of training early and been used as bait on assignments she should have never been given. And true to Annie style, she had come through them all. Some of her successes had been that bastard Mercer acting as a guardian angel in the field. Part of it was also attributed to Joan's affection for Annie. And although it killed him to admit it, even Jai had been part of her de facto back up team.

Of course, Auggie was self aware enough to know how much he had helped her. She came to him for and with almost everything. He wasn't sure how she saw him. Was he a big brother, mentor or pal? Those in the tech support he trusted enough to be his eyes swore she smiled at him like no one else. And lately, well, like just now, she had taken to standing very close to him. The sensible part of him said it was to keep secret those things she shared. Of course his little head was waging a campaign in favor of it meaning something else. Her altered breathing in those little moments was certainly helping on that. He knew what he wanted to believe.

He grunted out more of his frustration. If he had his sight, one Anne Catherine Walker wouldn't stand a chance. Of course, if he had his sight, he would still be on patrol in Iraq.

He thought of Mercer again. He was back, but Auggie knew it was a matter of time. He had hurt Annie badly. He would bear watching, so to speak. Auggie stopped mid pull-up. Mercer would do it again. She would be hurt. She would need someone. She would need caring, although she would hate that. She needed…Auggie decided at that moment, she would need him. HE would be there. At some point, she would be ready to see what was there between them. She would see him. He would be there to pick up those pieces.

**RUN TO ME (Bee Gees)**

_If ever you got rain in your heart,  
someone has hurt you, and torn you apart,  
am I unwise to open up your eyes to love me? _

_And let it be like they said it would be -  
me loving you girl, and you loving me._

_Am I unwise to open up your eyes to love me? _

_Run to me whenever you're lonely. (to love me)  
Run to me if you need a shoulder  
Now and then, you need someone older,  
so darling, you run to me. _

**Hangs head in shame- I know, I know, BUDDIES. Those bunnies are not having a good time with the next chapter. I have written 3 versions and the bunnies really hate them all. More inspiration could help…..**


	8. Bookends Theme

**So, the Auggie Episode. HOLY COW! Amazing job by CG! If he doesn't win an Emmy for this, I don't know what to say. That scene in the plane when he has the knife to the terrorist's throat? Unbelievable!**

**And the football scene…..whew…needless to say the DVR got some workout on that one! I loved how differently the two Auggies move and behave. Great stuffs.**

**So, I looked and looked for the right song for this episode. Go and listen to the song first. It's pretty old (but then, so am I!) It's by Simon & Garfunkel and it's a very short song. **

**DISCLAIMER: I got the first season finally…Best Buy has it on sale for 19.99! whoo hooo!**

**Bookends Theme****  
P. Simon, 1968 **

Sometimes Annie's silences said more than her words. It was a little ironic considering she was a linguistics expert. But silences are never really silent when you are blind. They are especially loud when you use your sense of hearing working for the CIA. He could hear the slight catch in her breathing as she listened to him tell his story.

It was a story he had not shared with anyone. Of course, those who needed to know, had all the black and white on his circumstances. But the shadings and colors of which he spoke longingly were his and only his. Until now.

He wasn't completely sure when he decided to tell it all to her. He could have just given her some bare bones facts. She would have accepted that. She was his friend and would understand what he wanted to share. She would have also understood why he might not have supplied details.

Maybe it was the moment after he re-sheathed his knife. He had held a man's life in his hands, literally. He tasted the rage that almost blinded him for a second time. He could see only the faces of his friends, his unit, his brothers. They were gone and he was still there. Would he have wanted one of them to kill this man like this? What if they knew what he did? What if they understood what more could be gained by keeping this man alive? What if they knew how many more people could be saved?

His unit had been the best of the best. But he had been its head because of his training. His men didn't know what he had been. They didn't know what he knew. All they had known was that he outranked them. They knew he was smarter and quicker. He was a natural leader, he had been told. Another irony when you have 4 older brothers.

But he was different. Even in that elite group, he knew and understood more. They accepted the difference and were proud of him and their unit. That photograph. Those men. Those smiles. They were a piece of him forever. He held each one of them and their individual stories within him. They were the building blocks of Auggie Anderson. He remembered the laughter as they took that photo.

He felt the photo paper between his fingers. When it got to be worn, he would print it again to be kept with him always. He liked to think he could feel their faces in the texture of the paper. It wasn't true. But it didn't stop him from sweeping his fingers along the photo every time he took it out of his wallet.

It wasn't a good luck charm. It was a reminder of what was good and real. It was a reminder of who had been. It was reminder of why he did what he did. He could no longer shoot a weapon. But he could make sure that those who did were supplied with the best intelligence on the planet. He could do that for his brothers.

Sharing this with only Annie made sense to him. She knew enough about the military to fill in some big blanks. He had trusted her only. When he was going to face what could be the end, talking to her was important. He wanted to make sure he thanked her and said goodbye. And just as he had for her so many times, she pulled him back on track. It was his friends' faces he saw, but Annie's voice he heard as he held that knife.

The silence from Annie grew longer. He sensed she wanted to say something but even she, with her very ready wit, was without words. Her breathing labored a bit. But it didn't break. It took a lot to break his friend Annie.

She was a piece of who he was now. She had become a building block for the future Auggie.

He liked that.

_**Time it was, and what a time it was, it was  
A time of innocence, a time of confidences  
Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph  
Preserve your memories; They're all that's left you **_

**What do we think?**

**And yes, I know Photographs and Memories needs updating badly….feed the bunnies!**


	9. CRUSH

**No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth! It just feels like it. I am kind of loving the second season. LOL I guess they got the memo and have had lots and lots of shirtless Auggie for us! Oh and shirtless Jai. Yum! **

**Last night's ep and that little moment in the office with Auggie and Joan triggered this one. It's a little out of left field. **

_**CRUSH – by Jennifer Paige**_

_**It's just a little crush (crush)  
Not like I faint every time we touch**_

She loved her husband. He was literally tall, dark and handsome. He was also smart, funny, sharp and powerful. He was confident and a little dangerous. He could make her weak at the knees, no mean feat, with just a certain smile. She even loved those damned eyebrows.

She worked with so many men with those attributes. This was the CIA for God's sake. That laundry list was just the baseline to work here. They were America's best and brightest. In a company loaded with men that would make the average woman weak at the knees, she knew she had found the best.

She knew all this. It was not something she needed to reflect upon all the time. It simply was. She loved her husband. She was woman enough to appreciate some of the incredibly good looking charming men surrounding her. She was married and in love with her husband, not dead.

So what the hell?

It wasn't really anything. If she thought about it really, it was sisterly affection. She admired him. What was to not admire? In addition to the extraordinary that was ordinary in their world, he could add brave, sweet and determined. He was a God-damned certifiable hero with the medal and war wound to prove it. Maybe it was that slight vulnerability he allowed to be seen. Peeking out from behind the required façade of perfect control that the Agency required, it was a bright light in a blackened room.

Lord knows he had more than his share of women. They practically crawled all over him. He would flash that grin, make some adorable self deprecating remark at odds with his jaunty confidence and women melted. She was not immune to his charm. She enjoyed it. It was harmless because they both knew the rules and boundaries, even if he pushed them.

But it was the times when she could see the real man behind the smile that she felt it. It would be just a small break in the wall of breezy charisma that he all but dripped, but it was enough. She knew that he was way more vulnerable than he ever really let on. Truthfully, she was flattered he would on the rare occasion allow her that glimpse.

Whoever this woman was, she was a fool. No matter what he said, she was an idiot. Or she was very young. Because any woman north of drinking age understood that men like him did not grow on trees. They were a rare breed, almost extinct. This was a man for all his liaisons, did not give his heart away easily. Clearly, this time he had. She could see it in those sightless eyes that still gave away so much. This woman was going to the other side of the world for the Peace Corps and leaving behind an extra-ordinary man with a broken heart. She was a fool.

Because Joan knew that if she were in that woman's shoes, she would never leave a man like that. Because even though she was married and very much in love with her husband, Joan knew that men like Auggie were a rarity. Because Joan knew that when Auggie loved, he loved completely. Because Joan knew of all the men at the Agency, only Auggie could elicit that little flutter in her.

Joan knew the woman was a fool and she was an even bigger one for even acknowledging that flutter to herself.

**No, I do NOT want them to happen on any universe! But just thought it was a fun little drabble that a wayward bunny demanded.**

**Oh and the preview of next week? I actually squealed out loud. My darling husband thinks I am officially certifiable. **


	10. THIS KISS

_**Yes, the bunnies who liked Simon, just not for Annie are back. They have taken quite a long break. Hopefully this will awaken them.**_

_**OHMIGOD that Last episode! Yikes I was squealing at the TV and DVR!**_

_**Reviews and chocolates still feed my bunnies!**_

_**DISCLAIMER: Own only my imagination, a very scary place.**_

THIS KISS by Faith Hill

It was not his smoothest move. He had been smoother. He knew that. Before he was blind, he was the ultimate. In those days, he was like silk. It wasn't conceit. Women told him frequently. And based upon his results, he knew without being told.

Even after losing his sight, he found his groove again quickly. No, it wasn't as easy and deft as it had been. But when mixed with a lethal dose of wry self deprecation, charm and control, it worked as well. He still had references. It was a growing list. Well, to be honest there were a few glaring exceptions. They might attest to his technique, but the long term outcomes were ultimately less than optimal.

Still, he was better than this. He knew how to control the situation. When you lived your life with a major impediment, no matter how politically correctly they dressed it up, it was a handicap. But if you relied on your training, you made any situation work for you. He had learned and adapted.

Actually, he preferred to take control. Some of that was hard wired into him and had nothing to do with his blindness. Then there was the part of him that recognized that if he took control, he wouldn't look so ridiculous. Honestly, who wanted to look silly at a moment like that. Or even worse, have the pity card played on the table.

No, when you took control, you avoided all that. He had a move. Most men, whether they admitted it or not, did. His involved a slow stroke of the face and lips with his hands. They were sensitive and used to reading for him. Women liked that caress. They liked to think he was memorizing their features. Mostly, he was ascertaining where the mouth really was. It worked.

Not this time.

He was sure when this moment came, he would savor it. It had been a long time coming. They had come a long way. The obstacles in the way of other men and women had been there. Their timing had been off. Geography had worked against them. Even injuries and accusations had been tossed like huge logs by a hurricane as roadblocks to this moment.

But the moment was here. It should have been slow, and sweet and steady. It should have had some control. It should have conveyed all he was working up to telling her. The emotions were there, tucked in his heart, ready to spill out. It should have worked up to the raw emotions and passion.

But like everything she did, it was with her whole being and impetuous. There was a brief moment where he knew he could have taken that control, but true to form, she just jumped in.

Her arms came around him and her lips fastened on. He was taken back. He wrapped his arms and heart around her just as hard and held on at first. There was no chance to run his fingers through her long silky hair. There was no hand wrapped around the base of her neck at the top of her spine, holding her into the perfect place.

No. Suddenly, without more than that heartbeat of silence, pregnant with possibility as they stood inside his apartment door, she threw herself into him and his mouth. It was only his strength and ability to quickly adapt his body to all situations that kept them from going over.

She kissed him deeply and hard. Her tongue demanded entranced and it was granted before he was even aware. His answered with as much enthusiasm and pushed back into her. Despite her aggression, she allowed it. It was that moment, frantic with need and that changed the kiss. She softened her whole mouth and body to his demands. She may have initiated the embrace, but he would be given control. The slight whimper from the back of her throat that he felt as much as heard was her tell. Her taste was mint and coffee and the slight smokiness of scotch. Mostly, without knowing before, it was familiar yet, like home. They stroked each other and tasted slowly and deeply. It was the most intimate moment he had ever known.

She twined herself around him and held on, but only after he felt her shift downward. She had kicked off those ridiculously high heels she wore. The tiny part of his mind that was still working registered this and knew it for the signal. She was getting comfortable. She was staying.

He knew in that moment that he could relax just a little. Well, he could relax as much as his body, heart and soul who were all dancing wildly and high fiving each other would let him. He had time.

He pulled back, ever so slightly from her. She followed at first, clearly unwilling to break even the slightest bit. His superior strength won out as did their collective need for oxygen.

"Yes?"

"Oh hells yes!"

It was a typical answer from her. They would be lovers as each of them had somehow always known. They had hidden and ignored and tried to run from that truth for a long time. Now it was here.

He straightened up, almost to attention, his bearing that of a man on a mission. Untangling a little, although his body protested, he held out his arm. It was a question.

She placed her hand and her heart into his keeping.

_**You still out there?**_


	11. They Can't Take That Away From Me

**OK, so the bunnies have FORCED me to watch that last scene that I DVR'd OVER AND OVER AGAIN.**

**But the scene before it, when EyAl says goodbye? Deep sigh. The bunnies REALLY like him!**

**This song is a REALLY old one. Find a version of it on youtube from Fred Astaire. It's lovely.**

_They Can't Take That Away From Me_

He was gone. In typical fashion, he had just disappeared. One day she would have to ask him how he managed that. He was going sailing. She smiled to herself, imagining him as a man of leisure. She wondered what he meant when he was talking about sailing. She wondered if she would ever wind up on a beach with him at sunset. She smiled again lost in her musings.

He wasn't as far as she thought. He had learned to slip away in a crowd years ago. It was a survival technique that had become second nature. He was watching her. He watched her look for him and smile when she didn't see him. He watched the smile that lit up her face as she realized he was gone again. It warmed and tugged at him. She was going back to America and her work. Back to the CIA, back to a sense of purpose, back to a belief that what she did was important and mattered. Mostly, he believed she was going back to Auggie Anderson.

He thought of that sunset on a beach he had promised her. He allowed himself the luxury of imaging it. They would sit quietly and watch the sun set. This all American girl, blonde haired, perfect teeth and whirling energy would sit quietly. She was the rare American who didn't fear stillness. She would tip her head and smile at him. Her spirit touched his. It was why he called her "Neshama". She could be his soul. She was light to his darkness. Yes, she was beautiful. But she was more than that. She ran deeper and so did his feelings. In another world, he would have moved mountains. This woman would have never been left an airport. She would have been wooed, pursued, courted and won. Bu his world was not that place and neither was hers.

Annie Walker was going home. If EyAl read the signs right, and he usually did, Annie was going back to one Auggie Anderson, All American Boy. Auggie hadn't declared himself yet, but EyAl knew it was coming. The man had the tenacity of a pit bull when Annie was in Russia. He would have moved mountains and defied all governments to get her back. It was the actions of a man in love.

When he finally met Auggie, he was a little surprised. Of course he had done his homework and checked on this CIA operative who had reached out to him in such an unconventional manner. Those Americans were always conventional. Auggie's picture showed a shaggy haired computer geek. In real life there was a steely core of strength under his casual demeanor. Meeting Auggie, EyAl could sense the soldier. Auggie had been Special Forces. It explained the toughness under the self deprecating wit. He liked him, which was saying a great deal. Most Americans irritated him. In that other world, he might want to befriend this rival. That the man was in love with Annie was no surprise. She was that kind of woman. Men would be fascinated, and fall in love. Annie's reaction to Auggie was surprising. She was by nature independent. It served her well in this line of work. But when Auggie was around, she softened. Her eyes lightened and she turned to Auggie, deferring to him. It was something only a trained eye or a man ready to tumble for her himself would see.

EyAl had made a study of Annie over these few years. Her smiles and tears were etched in his heart. Her quick mind and tenacious loyalty by turns charmed and exasperated him. Even as a green operative, she showed cool clear eyed determination. She had matured since then, growing sharper and lovelier at each encounter.

No, Annie Walker would not be sitting on a beach with him alone watching a sunset one day. She would stay with her blind All American Hero. But those memories, he would keep. Every moment they had spent together played over again and again in his mind as he sat on the plane.

_**They Can't Take That Away From Me**_

_By George and Ira Gershwin_

_The way your smile just beams_  
_The way you sing off key_  
_The way you haunt my dreams_  
_No no they can't take that away from me_

_We may never never meet again, on that bumpy road to love_  
_But I'll always, always keep the memory of_

_The way you hold your knife_  
_The way we danced till three_  
_The way you changed my life_  
_No no they can't take that away from me_  
_No they can't take that away from me_

**Hopeless romantic much, Gina? Yeah. I hope we see more of him. (And yeah Of Course I meant that literally ….shirtless EyAl, hells yeah)**

**Bunnies are waking from a long slumber.**

**ANYONE THERE?**


	12. Sealed Lips

**What can I say? I guess not having fresh material stunts the story bunnies. Frankly, I started this one months ago. The ads have inspired me. **

**SEALED LIPS**

The papers were tossed onto his desk were only interesting to Arthur in that they blocked his current work. He glanced once and then pushed them aside, glancing up at his wife in annoyance. After being married and working together as long as he had, he knew from that look, there was an agenda. He also knew that ignoring Joan's agenda was done at his own peril. He looked again.

"Requests for vacation time? Why are you showing those to me? That's administrative for your own department. Grant or deny them as you will."

Arthur tried to go back to work, hoping his tone had sounded confident in her abilities instead of dismissive. The papers were nudged back under his nose. Clearly Joan's agenda was to be followed first.

"Look at the names, Arthur."

"Fine, Auggie. The man never takes time off. This is worth noting. How did you get him to agree?"

"Look at the other name."

"Annie Walker. Well that's another one who never takes off. She has been going full tilt for too long. It's what caused some of the problems we have had. Having her take a break may be a good idea."

He handed back the requests, sure he had said the right thing. When she pushed them back at him with that look on her face, Arthur knew he hadn't quite gotten it right.

"Look at the dates. Look at this."

"Joan. I am swamped. What is it I am supposed to be seeing?"

"What you are supposed be seeing is that Auggie Anderson and Annie Walker are both requesting time off. At the same time. And their requests hit my desk together. Arthur, do I need to draw you an actual picture here?"

"Auggie and Annie?"

"Yes, Auggie and Annie."

Arthur took the two forms and looked at them carefully. Tossing them onto the desk he leaned back and looked at his wife. His considerable eyebrows finally rose.

"Well, I guess we aren't really surprised by this turn of events are we? But is it a good surprise or not?"

Anyone else watching Joan for a reaction wouldn't know what she was thinking. But he was not just anyone. Years of observation had taught him that behind her bland expression she was happy but concerned.

"What's worrying you here? You like Annie. I know you do. And Auggie is impossible to dislike. What's the issue?"

"Frankly, the potential blowback. You know what could happen here. Watch them together. Watch him. He's in deep this time. If this doesn't go well, I don't know we would get him back. I hope she's ready for this, because he is all in."

She had started to pace, a sure sign of her agitation. Arthur was briefly distracted by watching her walk. He was a man and she was gorgeous and his wife. No man could be blamed for enjoying the view. But she was a woman who prided herself on control. Her visible agitation was unusual. And now that he had heard her concerns, he was tempted to pace himself.

"This is your division. I will support whatever course of action you take."

"Action, Arthur? There is no course of action. Should we separate them? Because a Russian jail that was impossible to break out of didn't separate them. This is Auggie. He doesn't deal with obstacles. The man is a bulldozer when it comes to them. I shudder to think what would happen if we even tried."

"Annie then?"

"Sure. And I should say what? That we don't condone relationships within the Agency? We do. That I don't think they belong together? Frankly I was wondering what took them both so long. Should I have the 'Don't break his heart' talk with her? Seriously?"

"OK Joan, what? I don't know what you want here?"

"Honestly there is nothing you can really do. Short of making one of them disappear, but they are both such pitbulls, I don't see that working."

She stopped pacing in front of her desk. Heaving a sigh, she retrieved the papers she had tossed on his desk. She headed toward the door and stopped just before it. Athur had put down his head, getting back to work, secretly relieved nothing more than an ear had been needed on this. It would have been a mess to keep those two apart. His relief was short lived.

Just before the door she stopped and looked back at him. The discussion of the this potential power couple reminded her that she started this relationship in a similar manner. She smiled softly watching him work for a moment. Even years later, he could still make her heart race and knees weaken.

"Arthur?"

Her soft tone took him off guard. She had a little smile on her face. He flashed an even larger one back at her. He knew that smile.

"What could I honestly say? It's how we started, after all."

_**Our Lips Are Sealed**__**  
By the Go-Gos  
(Jane Wiedlin/T. Hall)**_

Can you hear them  
They talk about us

**I never know if I get Joan and Arthur right. I feel like they are hard to write. They have such a complicated multi-level relationship.**

**Anyone there?**


End file.
